U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Health Communication and Social Marketing: Campaigns That Include Mass Media and Health-Related Product Distribution

About this resource:

Systematic Review

Source: The Guide to Community Preventive Services

Last Reviewed: December 2010

Workgroups: Physical Activity Workgroup, Tobacco Use Workgroup, Injury and Violence Prevention Workgroup, Sexually Transmitted Infections Workgroup, Cancer Workgroup, Health Communication and Health Information Technology Workgroup

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends health communication campaigns that use multiple channels, including mass media, and also provide free or discounted health-related products. Health communication campaigns apply integrated strategies to deliver messages that aim to affect people’s health behaviors. In addition to mass media (like television, radio, and billboards), the campaigns can use: 

  • Small media, like brochures and posters 
  • Social media, like Facebook and Twitter
  • Interpersonal communication, like 1-on-1 or group education
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Objectives related to this resource (10)

Reduce the proportion of adults who do no physical activity in their free time — PA‑01
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adults who do enough aerobic physical activity for substantial health benefits — PA‑02
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adults who do enough aerobic physical activity for extensive health benefits — PA‑03
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adolescents who do enough aerobic physical activity — PA‑06
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of adolescents who do enough muscle-strengthening activity — PA‑07
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of adults who walk or bike to get places — PA‑10
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adolescents who walk or bike to get places — PA‑11
Baseline only
Reduce the proportion of deaths of car passengers who weren't buckled in — IVP‑07
Little or no detectable change
Increase successful quit attempts in adults who smoke — TU‑14
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adolescent males who used a condom the last time they had sex — FP‑06
Little or no detectable change

Suggested Citation

1.

Guide to Community Preventive Services. (2010). Health communication and social marketing: Campaigns that include mass media and health-related product distribution. Retrieved from https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/health-communication-and-social-marketing-campaigns-include-mass-media-and-health-related